Tomato leaf curling, lower stems dying "PICS ADDED POST

[Jeffross1968]

I have a smallish 12x15 garden...this is the 2nd year. This year I tilled in a relatively thin layer of compost from a pile I had been working on since last year. Otherwise, the soil is pretty heavy on red clay. I've planted tomatoes, along with bush bean, a few types of pepper, squash, onion and carrot. Tomato types are Mr. Stripey (bought as starters), Vorlon (from seed) and Black Giant (from seed).

All 3 types have shown flowering and fruit beginning, though not on all plants. But on the Black Giants, in the last week I've noticed some leaves on the upper stems curling up. On the same plants, lower stems have actually died off. Is this normal? I don't remember it happening last year. There are lots of flowers on these plants, and the fruit seems to be growing nicely.

Should I be worried? I'm in western NC...

[rainbowgardener]

Pictures would help. Instructions for posting pictures here are in New to Helpful Gardener? under Helpful Tips and Suggestions for New Members.

[Jeffross1968]

Yeah, sorry. I should have thought to post pictures. Below are pictures of both the leaf curl and dying lower stems, plus a couple zoomed out of the whole plants....

[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/008.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/007.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/006.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/005.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/004.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/003.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/002.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j439/Jeffross1968/Garden/001.jpg[/img]

[dustyrivergardens]

Heat and stress does that to my tomatoes it seems to have no effect on the production of tomatoes. I usually spray some neem oil on them from time to time in the evenings then when this area starts to get a little rain the plants really take off and start looking good again.

[rainbowgardener]

We seem to have three threads active about this problem right now.

If the leafs curl upwards and tend to get kind of thickened and leathery, that's called physiological leaf roll. It is a protective mechanism the plant has under stress, e.g. from cool rainy weather, severe pruning, going back and forth between very wet and very dry.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=261398#261398

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46357

[Jeffross1968]

I also have some tomatoes that are growing split, so I bet it's from varying days of wet and dry. We've had some real deluges lately, with hot dry days in between.

Would covering the garden floor with hay work to regulate? I have already covered much of it with pine chips from my chicken brooder. It's got a little poop but mostly shavings. We clean the brooder out every couple of weeks when a new batch goes in, so a nice constant supply. However, 2/3 of the garden has nothing at this point, and I have a bunch of straw/hay I could use if it's appropriate.

[Jeffross1968]

I have covered most of the ground with a mixture of hay and pine shavings from our chicken brooder. The shavings don't have too much poop from chicks, so I have no issues putting directly on the plants without composting first. Unfortunately, it seems the leaves are dying from the bottom up, and only on the black giants (so far). Totally clueless what this could be. Any clues would be appreciated.

The maters continue to grow, and the plants continue to flower. But I'm worrying it's only going to get worse....

[Jeffross1968]

The guy at my local feed and seed store told me that what I likely have is early blight. He first tried to sell me some stuff to mix with water, but since I'm a regular, he told me to forget it, and to make a solution of 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon water and to spray the effected plants, as it will kill the fungus causing the problem.

Anyone have any opinions about this?

[Dillbert]

first, it would be wise to do some googling so you have some idea of whether what you see is blight - there are many many site with pix of early blight.

it is not uncommon for the lower leaves to yellow and die back - lack of light . . . .

next, mulching is an excellent approach to maintaining a more even moisture level in the soil - that's part of the cracking thing. but do note, "too dry" to "frog strangler" swings can result in cracking any which way.

and mulching can also keep soil (where the spores reside - and not only early blight spores....) from splashing up on the leaves where the disease "sprouts" and flourishes. I heavily mulch my tomatoes from Day One - as in 4-6 inches of chopped straw / grass clippings / whatever.

as the plants grow I trim/prune off the lower leaves/branches just to keep the plants from getting infected.

most times it works, sometimes it doesn't work.

[littlekrb]

Will excessive ongoing heat cause leaf curl? In Missouri, it has been over 100 degrees every day for about 2 weeks and we are experiencing severe drought. I am keeping up with watering but the uppermost leaves stay curled no matter what. I haven't worried about it too much since I cant control the heat. But want to make sure it is not something else.

[rainbowgardener]

Absolutely, the leaves thicken up and reduce their surface area to reduce transpiration (moisture loss). It is their protective mechanism for hot dry conditions.